Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris knows his side have no room for manoeuvre in the Champions League after admitting they gave up during the 7-2 thrashing by Bayern Munich.
Former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry ran riot, bagging four second-half goals as the German champions became the first visiting side to score seven times at Spurs.
The game ended in farce for the hosts as they checked out and were ripped open on the counter-attack, with Bayern scoring three goals in the final seven minutes.
It leaves the Premier League side in a familiar position of vulnerability in the group stage, sitting bottom of Group B on one point from their opening two games.
They needed a miracle to progress to the knockout stages on their memorable journey to the final last year and while they will still be expected to navigate past Red Star Belgrade and Olympiakos, Lloris says they cannot afford any more slip ups.
“I feel really bad for the fans mainly because we gave up a little bit too easily and the score was even worse,” he said.
“It is a night that affects a lot. Now it’s about character, clearing the mind.
“The next two games against Red Star will become even more important, we cannot lose any more points.”
The defeat only heightens the feeling that things are not right at Spurs this season, something the manager Mauricio Pochettino has fuelled with his talk of “different agendas” in the dressing room.
It has led to an inconsistent start to the season where Pochettino’s men have yet to post back-to-back wins.
They have even been erratic within games, evidenced against Bayern where they produced their best performance of the season in the opening 35 minutes, only to collapse after the break.
Lloris says Spurs have to find a way to become consistent, starting with a tricky-looking Saturday lunchtime kick-off at Brighton.
“We need to find a solution to find the consistency that was our strength in the last few years,” the France international added.
“Since the start of the season we have never played at the same intensity for 90 minutes.
“As you see we’re used to playing in a way that demands a lot of energy and focus, and at this level the opponent punishes you when you start to lose easy balls close to the box.
“Today we feel bad for the badge, we feel bad for the fans and now it is to show a reaction on Saturday. This game has become even more important for us.”
